Lawmaker seeks impeachment of UT regent

By Patricia Kilday Hart, Austin bureau

Updated 10:52 pm, Monday, June 24, 2013

AUSTIN — A Waxahachie lawmaker filed a resolution Monday seeking to impeach University of Texas System Regent Wallace Hall, citing his “misleading” application for office and his pursuit of “burdensome, wasteful and intrusive” requests for documents from the system's flagship university.

It was unclear Monday whether the House will vote on Republican Rep. Jim Pitts' resolution before the special session ends at midnight Tuesday, but its passage would set up a seven-member committee to investigate the Dallas businessman.

Hall has acknowledged that he failed to disclose business lawsuits against him in his application to become regent. He has filed numerous, sweeping open records requests that Pitts has characterized as a “witch hunt” to find an excuse to fire University of Texas at Austin president William C. Powers, who has been critical of some board actions. Hall did not return a call for comment Monday.

A spokesman for Gov. Rick Perry, indicating that Hall has the governor's support, suggested Pitts may be trying to head off disclosure of information embarrassing to state lawmakers who have intervened on behalf of UT Austin applicants.

In his most recent request, Hall asked to see all correspondence between UT Austin and any legislator or member of Congress, including retired officials from Jan. 1, 2009 to the present.

“It is as appropriate for a university system's board of regents to demand transparency from member schools, as it is for the Legislature to demand transparency from a board of regents,” said Perry spokesman Rich Parsons. “However, if media reports are true that Chairman Pitts' efforts could be motivated by attempts to conceal emails that include information about members of the Legislature requesting admission to the UT law school on behalf of others, this is a very alarming development.”

Pitts was not available for comment Monday.

His resolution states that Hall's lapse in his application “casts doubt on his fitness to hold public office ... with the integrity expected of a person holding a position of public trust in this state.”

The Texas government code allows the Legislature to meet for purposes of seeking impeachment without a special call from the governor. If the Legislature is not in session, the Texas House can convene “by proclamation of the speaker of the House if the speaker is petitioned in writing by 50 or more members” of the 150-member House, according to the code.